a vision into the future
by finleybaby
Summary: All is going well for Melinda Gordon. But how smoothly will things run when she has a vision about a ghost, and it turns her world completely upside down? How far can she go when she's pushed to the limits? R&R please
1. Chapter 1

Melinda Gordon was walking up to her antique shop on a brisk fall morning. The leaves had already begun to change color, and she enjoyed a break from the heat. She stopped for a moment before entering the store, just taking in the square. It was a normal Thursday in Grandview, with lots of people wandering from store to store, along with other people who were at the stores to greet them and help them with their purchases. She turned to the shop and looked through the window. Her good friend Delia was already there sorting through a box at the front counter. She was truly thankful for her friend. Even if Delia was still a bit skeptical about Melinda's gift, she was still willing to support her in anything she did. Melinda entered the store, and the bell rang, signaling to Delia that her friend had arrived.

"Hey! Good morning!" Delia said, as she greeted her friend with a smile.

"Hey yourself! It is a good morning, isn't it!" Melinda said. She was in a great mood, and it seemed to be rubbing off on her friend.

"Well you're awfully chipper this morning." Delia said, mocking her friend with a smile.

"Can't a girl be happy?" Melinda asked, with a cheesy smile.

"Yes, but you are almost deliriously happy." Delia said, as she continued to sort through the box. She was only teasing of course. "Are your hormones out of whack?"

"Ha ha, very funny." Melinda said, putting her things down, laughing. She grabbed another box from the back room and put it next to Delia's to sort through as well. "Everything is just going well right now. I mean yeah, I'm sad that Rick is gone, but the business is doing well, Jim and I are doing great, and now I have Eli to help with some of the ghost stuff, so It's not all on me anymore. I think it's almost a stress relief to have him around."

"Yeah, I could definitely see how working out ghosts problems could get stressful. Especially if you have to do it all yourself." Delia said, looking over a china jewelry box.

"Exactly! And Eli seems so willing to help, so I can send him off to take care of a few things every once in a while." She said. Then suddenly Melinda felt a little queasy, and put her hand on her stomach until the sensation passed. She thought it was odd, but since it passed quickly, she brushed it off. Melinda then saw the jewelry box Delia was pricing. "Hey, could I see that for a minute? It's beautiful!" Melinda reached over.

Delia willingly handed over the box. "It is, isn't it?" A moment after Melinda took the box, she was suddenly pulled into a vision.

_Melinda was in a car driving down a road. She could see the road and all around her, but she was in the body of the man driving, and could not see him. He was feeling extremely happy, and anxious at the same time. He was turning with the bend of the road, and suddenly, Melinda could see a ghost wearing a dark hoodie, standing in the middle of the road. The man driving the truck obviously didn't see the ghost. The next thing Melinda knew, the ghost was in the back of the truck, with an evil smile on his face. Then he disappeared. All of a sudden, for what seemed like no reason, the car started swerving. The man was losing control of his vehicle. He was trying to slam on the breaks, but nothing was happening. He went flying over the side of the hill, and crashed his car into a tree at the bottom. He was still conscious, but a limb had crashed through the front window and impaled the man. He grabbed at the wound, and could feel himself letting go. The last thing he said was, "No. I can't die. This was supposed to be the happiest day for her. If I die, it will be the worst." And with that, he started to slump down. He lay unconscious on the steering wheel._

Melinda took a huge gasp, and immediately grabbed her side where the man had been impaled. She had felt the whole thing. His thoughts, his emotions, his pain.

"Are you alright, Melinda?" Delia asked, with a look of concern. By now, she had known Melinda was having some sort of vision, but she felt so helpless just watching and not being able to do anything.

Melinda was still breathing fast, and had to take a minute to compose herself before she could respond. "yeah, I think so. I just had a vision. But what does it have to do with this jewelry box?" she wondered.

Melinda went on to explain the vision to Delia.

Delia listened, and tried to throw her two cents in, "Maybe the box belongs to the man. Or the ghost that apparently caused him to crash."

"That's a definite possibility."Melinda said. "I'm just not even sure which ghost I am dealing with. The one that caused the wreck or the one in the wreck. And why would the ghost be trying to kill the man in the first place? It was so weird Delia. I couldn't even see the man. It was like I was the man. I experienced everything he experienced. Only I could see the ghost."

"Were there any clues in the vision about who either man was?" Delia asked.

"Not really. I couldn't see the driver, and the ghost had on a dark blue hoodie so I couldn't see his face. Just his creepy smile. I suppose I will just have to figure out where this jewelry box came from." Melinda inspected the box closer for any sort of clue it could give her.

"I wish I could help there, but it was just a box of donations. Someone just dropped them off on the back porch. No name, no nothing. How are you going to find where it came from?"

"I'm not sure. The internet maybe? It looks hand painted, so maybe I can track down the store that sold it, and maybe they will have some kind of record of who purchased it. It's a stretch, but it's all I have to go on right now."

Melinda arrived home to a wonderful smell coming from her kitchen. She had been moving boxes all day, and was extremely tired, so it was nice to have a meal already cooking when she got home. She walked into the kitchen and saw Jim standing at the stove, stirring what looked to be spaghetti sauce.

She put her arm around his side, and gave him a kiss.

"Welcome home, beautiful." Jim said, returning the kiss.

"Thank you, handsome." Melinda said, with a smile. She truly loved her husband. He was the most supportive person she had ever met, besides her grandmother. "What are you cooking?" She asked, seeing the food, and now realizing how hungry she actually was.

"Your favorite! Spaghetti with meat sauce, a side salad, and garlic bread." Jim said with a smile. Melinda's face lit up, as she reached for a piece of garlic bread, and took a small bite. She licked her lips in approval. Jim loved cooking for his wife. She enjoyed it so much, and it was a great way for him to show how much he loves and appreciates her. "How was your day?" He asked, genuinely interested.

"Oh,the usual. We had a few customers, did some inventory, I had a vision, sorted through some boxes…You know, the usual." Melinda said, trying to squeeze her ghostly vision in without him really noticing. She loved the support she got from Jim, but she knew he worried any time a ghost got involved. And everything was going so well right now, she really didn't want him worrying about her.

"Wait a minute. A vision? What kind of vision? Did you see a ghost?" He asked, knowing full well that she was trying to slide it in unnoticed.

Melinda explained about the vision, and Jim watched his wife, looking for any sign of fear or anxiety. He knew that sometimes she would try to hide how serious a ghost problem was, and he knew he would be able to tell the real severity of it all by how she explained it.

As Melinda wrapped up the story, Jim relaxed a little bit. He didn't see much change in his wife's demeanor, so he knew he didn't need to be too worried.

"Hmm…So you're sure you got the vision off of the box? Were you touching anything else at the time?" Jim asked, trying to understand how exactly everything happened.

Melinda thought back for a moment. "I had my right hand on the box, and my left hand…Was on my stomach." She had forgotten about the nauseous feeling she had earlier.

"Why was it there?" Jim asked, out of curiosity.

"I just felt a little queasy. The feeling passed quickly though. I hadn't eaten breakfast." Melinda said.

"Alright so if you weren't really touching anything else, then we need to figure out where the jewelry box came from." Jim said, looking for solutions to this ghostly puzzle.

"Those were my thoughts exactly. I already looked online, and tracked the serial number back to the store that sold it. I will go tomorrow morning and see if they have any record of who may have purchased it." Melinda said, slightly proud of herself that she had thought of the whole idea.

"Alright, well good. I guess we are one step closer to figuring out what the vision was about." Jim said. He went back to stirring the sauce before it burned.

The couple shared a nice dinner together, talking about the rest of their day, and their baby plans. Melinda was now getting excited about trying to get pregnant, but was a little discouraged that nothing had happened yet. She was a bit worried that there was something wrong with her, and that's why they couldn't get pregnant. She pushed the thought from her mind. Melinda picked up her plate, and carried it to the sink.

"Jim, you want me to get the dishes tonight?" Melinda asked her husband. He did so much for her, it was the least she could do, even though she was completely exhausted.

"Actually, I think we should just leave them for tomorrow. I have a better idea of how we should spend our evening." Jim put his plate in the sink as well, and slyly put his hand around his wife. He looked into her eyes, and gave her a passionate kiss. He had that smile on his face, and Melinda knew what he wanted.

"All of this baby talk makes me want to put it into action. Why don't we try again tonight?" Jim had a devious tone to his voice, as he tried to entice his wife.

Melinda loved her husband, and there was definitely no loss of attraction as they have been married, but she was exhausted from the day. She really hadn't even done that much moving, but she was worn out anyway.

"Jim, I love you, but I'm just so tired." Melinda didn't want to disappoint her husband, but she really didn't have the energy to get up the stairs, let alone anything else.

"Alright." Jim said, slightly crushed. He gave Melinda another kiss, and carried her up the stairs. He laid her in bed, and crawled up beside her. They just lay there for a while talking about the future. They both must have been tired, because before they knew it, they were out cold. Not even bothering to change into night clothes.

The next morning

Melinda had woken up to an empty bed. She knew Jim had an early shift, but she still hated waking up alone. She stood up to go to the bathroom, but began to feel slightly dizzy. She sat back down on the bed so she wouldn't fall. Melinda put her hand on her head, wondering what in the world she was feeling dizzy for.

"I guess I stood up to fast." She said to herself.

She walked to the bathroom, to take a shower, and get ready for the day. She began to feel a bit queasy again, and associated it with being dizzy.

"I must be catching something." She said out loud, to no one in particular.

She finished getting ready, and went on her way to the store, checking her directions several times so she wouldn't end up at the wrong place. She parked her car in front of the store with the correct address. She read the name, 'Charlottes Fine China' and knew it was the right place.

She walked inside, and a bell rang to signal her entrance, much like her own store. A lady looked up, and greeted Melinda.

"Can I help you?" The lady asked.

"Actually, I'm hoping you can." Melinda pulled the china jewelry box out of her purse. "I was hoping you could tell me who you sold this jewelry box to. It's really important that I find the family." Melinda said, trying not to sound like some creep off the street that was trying to stalk a family or something.

Melinda handed the box to the lady, and she began inspecting it.

"I believe I can tell you. One moment please, while I grab my record book." The lady put the jewelry box down, and went to the back room. Melinda looked around as she waited, and was checking out all of the lovely china that was in the store. There were a set of china plates with light blue swirls around the edges, and small red roses painted in between. Melinda thought they were beautiful. She looked at the price tag, and it said 1,200. Melinda dropped the tag and stepped back slowly, as to try not to touch the expensive plates.

She couldn't understand why a china jewelry box that was probably very expensive was just donated to her store. Just as she started to think about it, the lady interrupted her thoughts as she came back to the front of the store with a large book.

"Let's see…I can look up the serial number here," She said, scrolling the pages with her finger, "and the name should be…here!" The lady stopped her finger abruptly when she reached what she was searching for. "Penny Sanders." The lady read.

"You don't happen to have an address for her on there, do you?" Melinda asked. She reached into her purse for a piece of paper and a pen.

"I do. It's 1439 Timber Crest Drive. What did you need her for again?" The lady asked, as she closed the large book.

"Oh I just need to ask her something about the jewelry box."Melinda said, as she finished writing down the information on her piece of paper. "Thank you so much for your help." Melinda waved goodbye as she exited the store.

Melinda hopped in her car, and pulled out, headed for home. She was hungry, and wanted to stop for lunch before heading over to the Sanders house. She figured she didn't want to interrupt their lunch anyway.

Melinda had a lunch of a turkey sandwich, some potato salad, and an apple. She felt satisfied with her meal, and went upstairs to change clothes. She had a skirt on, and decided with the changing fall weather, that she would put on something a bit warmer. As soon as she finished changing clothes, a wave of nausea hit Melinda, and it hit hard. She ran to the bathroom, putting her hand over her mouth so she wouldn't get anything on the floor. She emptied her lunch into the toilet, and then a little more. It was a miserable feeling, but as soon as she was done, she felt much better.

What was that about? Melinda thought. It couldn't be food poisoning, because none of the food was bad. So why am I throwing up?' Then Melinda realized, and like a ton of bricks it hit her. She was late. She had missed her last period, and was now feeling nauseas. 'Could I be pregnant?'

She pulled out a pregnancy test from under the sink, and took it immediately. The two minutes for the test to finish were very slow. Finally, it was ready. She held up the test, trying not to get too excited, because the last few tests she had done this with were disappointments. She looked at the test, and saw two blue lines.

'Wait, what does two blue lines mean again?' Melinda thought, as she quickly rummaged for the tests instructions. When she found them, she read, "One blue line means not pregnant. Two blue lines means pregnant." Melinda thought for a moment, and then looked at the test again. "Two blue lines. Oh my god. I'm pregnant!" Melinda jumped up, and ran into her room to find the phone. She called Jim immediately, and told him about the test. All you could hear for about 3 minutes were screams of excitement from both ends of the phone. Once the couple settled down, Jim told Melinda that he was coming home.

"Wait Jim, I still need to go by that house, and talk to the lady about the vision." Melinda said, almost forgetting completely about her plans for the day.

"That's ok Mel. There was a large fire in Draco County, so they sent us over west. It will take me about an hour to get home anyway. I will just meet you when you get home." Jim said. He was so excited, Melinda could even hear the smile in his voice.

"Ok honey, but be safe." Melinda said.

"I will." Jim replied. "But you need to be extra careful. You are being safe for two now." Jim said, with a small giggle in his voice.

Melinda let out a small laugh as well, excitement also evident in her voice.

"Thanks." Melinda replied. "I love you."

"I love you too Mel." Jim said. And with that, the couple hung up the phone, and headed to their cars.

Melinda reached the house in about 10 minutes, and was walking up the steps to the door. She was trying to think of what to say. She rang the doorbell, and a lady answered the door. She looked to be around 70, and seemed to be nice.

"Can I help you?" The lady asked.

"Hi, I'm Melinda Gordon. I own an antique shop in the square. Are you by any chance Penny Sanders?" Melinda asked.

"Yes, I'm Penny Sanders. What can I do for you?" The sweet old lady asked.

"Could I come in? I'd like to ask you a few questions." Melinda asked.

Melinda was seated on an old Victorian styled couch. She placed her purse beside her, and pulled out the jewelry box. The lady came in with a tray of tea and cookies.

"How do you like your tea?" The lady asked, pouring a cup for Melinda.

"Sweet please." Melinda said. The lady added a small amount of sugar to the tea, and stirred it a moment before handing it to Melinda. Melinda accepted the beverage with a thank you, and took a small sip.

"Now what brings you here to visit a little old lady like me?" She asked, as she finished pouring her own tea.

"Well actually, I was wondering if I could talk to you about something that was donated to my store the other day." Melinda said. She put the tea cup on the saucer, and handed the jewelry box to Penny. "Was this yours?" Melinda asked.

"Why yes." Penny responded, looking over the jewelry box.

"Has someone close to you died recently?" Melinda asked.

The lady looked up at Melinda, with a strange face. "Why, no. No one." The lady said.

"No one? Melinda asked, kind of surprised.

"No. I never married, and never had any children. I don't really have anyone to lose except for my cat." The lady said, pointing to a chubby tabby that was lying on a chair in the back corner of the room.

"May I ask where you got the jewelry box from?" Melinda asked, now extremely curious.

"I bought it from a little store near town square called Charlottes Fine China. I like to go through my things upon occasion, and donate the things I really don't need so someone else can find joy in them. Why do you ask?" The lady inquired.

"So you just bought it because you liked it? It doesn't have any sentimental value or anything?" Melinda asked, now starting to get worried. If the box didn't mean anything to the lady, and no one had died, then how was there a ghost attached?

"That's right. It was just a spur of the moment purchase. I thought it was beautiful, and so I decided to purchase it." Penny said, not really understanding what all of the questions were about.

Melinda began to think out loud.

"Ok so if it's not sentimental, and the vision doesn't have to do with the box, and I was touching…" then Melinda got a horrible look on her face. "Oh my god. I was touching my stomach, and the baby, and…and, Jim! It's Jim in the car!" Melinda was almost screaming by the point, as she was figuring things out. She stood up abruptly, grabbed her purse, and rushed to the door.

"Is something the matter dear?" Penny called out, as she followed Melinda to the door.

"I'm sorry I have to leave, but thank you for your time, and for the tea." Melinda said. She was completely panicked by now, and was now sprinting to the car.

"Come back and visit me any time now dear!" Ms. Sanders called out to Melinda, as she got into her car.

Melinda raced home, hoping Jim would be there when she returned. She called him the entire way home, but there was no answer. She pulled into the driveway, and didn't see his truck, and got a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

She ran inside and checked the messages. Nothing. She called Jim on the phone, but no answer. Melinda was pacing back and forth, playing the vision over again in her mind, and how it could all be connected. It couldn't be Jim…could it?

Just then, her thoughts were interrupted by the phone ringing. She picked it up immediately.

"Jim?" Melinda asked, hoping and praying to hear his voice on the other end. But instead she heard the voice of one of Jim's colleagues.

"Melinda, its Tom. There's been an accident. It's Jim. I'm sent a patrol car to your place to pick you up. He should be there in a few minutes. Melinda, are you ok?"

Tom asked, hearing nothing but silence from the other end.

"Tom, how bad is it?" Melinda asked, already knowing.

"Melinda, you just need to get here as fast as you can." And with that, Tom hung up, leaving nothing but chilling silence.

Melinda felt as though her world was crashing down. How could she have not realized it was her husband the whole time? Then, she got a nauseas feeling in her stomach. It was a different kind of feeling than anything she had felt before. She ran to the bathroom, and threw up a few times, trying to let all of her grief out with it. Everything started to spin in her mind. Then, she heard the doorbell. She wiped her mouth, and ran to the door. It was the Police officer.

"Mrs. Gordon? I'm Officer Ramsey. I'm here to escort you to the accident site." He said. He had taken off his hat, and Melinda knew they did that as a sign of respect. Melinda didn't say anything, and just walked out of the door with the officer, and into the car.


	2. Chapter 2

Well since I forgot to add this to the first chapter, just let it apply to the whole story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Whisperer, or its characters. They are the property of CBS television. I only write this for fun, and if you want to sue me, know this; I am a fully time nanny, and a part time college student. The only thing of value that I own that would be of some value is my ipod. And if you take that, I will cry.

Well I have been so completely wrapped up in writing this story, that it shouldn't take me long to post new chapters. But know that I have never posted a story before (even though I've written many) because im a chicken. Constructive criticism is always welcome, and appreciated. And please review so I know if I suck! Haha

Enjoy!

Chapter 2-

15 minutes later, they were at the crash site. It was the same road she had seen in her vision, and she was horrified, already knowing what she was going to see. Tom had seen her pull up, and went to talk to her.

"Now Melinda, it's pretty bad. His truck hit a tree, and a limb impaled him. There will be a lot of blood, and He's in and out of consciousness right now. Are you sure you want to go down there?" He asked, making sure he looked Melinda in the eye for the last part.

"I want to see my husband." Was all Melinda managed to say, as she choked out a few tears. Tom walked Melinda under the police tape, and over to Jims truck. Jim's door was all mangled from the accident, so the firefighters were using the Jaws of Life to pry open the passenger side door. Melinda walked over to Jim's side, and looked at him. He looked so pale, and was covered in blood. He looked up at her half in a daze.

"Melinda…"

"Oh my god. Jim. Are you ok?" Melinda asked.

It was obvious he wasn't, but it was the only question she could bring herself to ask.

"Mel I don't know. It looks pretty bad, but they have the best guys working on it." Jim said, through clenched teeth. He had an IV in his left arm that the medics had placed, and he was getting pain medication, but it didn't help much, considering.

"Baby don't worry. They will pull you out, and take you to the hospital. You will be fine." Melinda was running her fingers through his hair, and he had placed his hand in hers. Melinda had to try not to focus on Jims injuries.

"This was your vision wasn't it." Jim said. "It was me in the truck."

"Yeah." Melinda said, the tears flowing freely now.

Even in horrific pain, Jim tried to lighten the mood. "Well with your gift, it wouldn't really be the end anyway." Jim tried to force a laugh, but it hurt too much to laugh. He placed his hand on Melinda's stomach. "A baby. There's a baby in there." He said, tears coming from his face now too.

"A baby." Melinda said, placing her hand on Jims. They were both crying at the thought of Jim not being there for the baby.

"Mel, I'm sorry I have to do this to you. But you're strong. You will get through this ok?" Jim said, looking into his wife's eyes. Melinda could hardly see anything through the tears. "And if I don't make it, this baby, you have to protect. You have to love, and cherish, and help this baby through anything. And if it's a girl, you have to scare away any boyfriends." They both let out a small chuckle. Melinda didn't want to let the moment go, because if she did, she feared she would lose Jim entirely.

Then Tom came over. "Melinda, you have to step back now. They are almost done with the door." He said, placing a hand on her shoulder. Melinda was torn. She didn't want to leave, in case it was his last moment, but she didn't want to stay, and delay the rescue. She leaned into the truck and Kissed Jim passionately. She put her hands on his face, and looked into his eyes. "I love you so much Jim." She was sobbing by this point.

"I love you too Mel." He said, and then slowly slipped out of consciousness.

Tom walked Melinda back to the other side of the police tape. The paramedics began to pull Jim out, and began working on him as fast as they could. Melinda was watching the scene, horrified. Then, Delia pulled up behind them, and rushed out of her car, and over to Melinda. Melinda immediately hugged Delia as tightly as she could, for fear of letting go.

"How is he?" Delia asked, looking over at the scene.

"Delia, it was Jim. I had the vision about Jim." Melinda said, not a dry spot on either cheek.

"What? What does Jim have to do with the Jewelry box?" Delia asked.

"Nothing. I was touching my stomach. Delia, I'm pregnant. I called Jim to tell him, and he was rushing home. I got the vision because I was touching the baby." Melinda was delirious by this point, and Delia was in shock. It was really too much for anyone to absorb. She didn't really even know how Melinda was standing at this point.

Melinda looked up, and saw them put Jim in the ambulance. "Delia, can we follow them over?"

"Of course" Delia said, walking Melinda to her car. They left the scene, and headed to the hospital.

Melinda ran into the ER with Delia hot on her heels. Melinda wanted to know what was going on, and she wanted to know now. She stopped at the front desk.

"Jim Clancy, please." She said, rather rushed.

The lady entered Jims name into her computer, paused for a moment, then looked back at Melinda. "They are still working on him. Why don't you have a seat over there, and a doctor will be with you shortly." The lady said, pointing to the waiting room across the hall. Melinda reluctantly retreated, knowing that she wasn't really allowed in the room anyway. Delia finally caught up to her.

"Anything?" Delia asked.

"Not yet." Melinda said. A million thoughts were running through Melinda's head. Would Jim be ok? What if he wasn't? How could she go on on her own? How could she raise a baby by herself? She was so scared, and so confused. Then she remembered.

"The ghost!"

"What?" Delia asked, hoping to jump on Melinda's thought train.

"The ghost did this! What the hell would he have to gain by killing my husband?" Melinda asked, now angry.

"Wait Melinda, we have to think optimistically. We don't even know if Jim is ok or not yet." Delia said, trying to stay positive, in a horrible situation.

"Well he better not be, or I swear, I will find a way to destroy that ghost." Melinda had never been so angry at anything or anyone in her life. With the mix of hormones, and grief, she very well could hurt someone if she had wanted to.

Just then, Melinda saw something. No, someone. But who? He was standing in the hallway. Was it Jim? She got up to go look. As she rounded the corner, she saw him. Her heart caught in her throat. It was Jim.

"Oh my god, Jim your dead." Melinda said, about ready to collapse with grief.

"Wait Melinda, I don't think I am." He said. I may not have been dead before, but I don't think I am now." He was trying his best to figure out what was going on, and to calm his wife at the same time.

"Jim, I'm staring at your ghost." She said. The tears started all over again. It broke Jim's heart to watch her like this. She was so innocent looking, and he hated being the cause of her pain.

Before Jim could finish, a man brushed by with a gurney, right where Jim was standing, and he vanished. Before Melinda could react, she heard her friend.

"Melinda!' Delia was yelling across the waiting room. Melinda looked over, and saw Delia standing with a doctor. She rushed over immediately.

"Hello Mrs. Gordon, I'm Dr. Wilson. I'm your husband's treating physician." He held out his hand and Melinda shook it.

"How is he?" She asked concern evident in her voice.

"We repaired the damage to his internal organs, and removed the branch, but he is in critical condition. He lost a lot of blood, and he is now in a coma. The next 24 hours should determine a lot about whether or not he will make it. Would you like to see him?" The doctor finished.

Melinda could hardly process what the doctor was saying. All she could think of was he's alive. Delia snapped her back into reality by placing a hand on her arm. "Melinda, do you want to see him?" Delia asked.

"Yes please." Melinda said, with a small flicker of hope restored back into her. The doctor had a nurse escort Melinda to the ICU. She walked in, and saw her husband lying on a hospital bed. He had tubes and wires hooked up to his arm, a few to his chest, and a breathing tube in his mouth. He had scrapes and cuts on him as well, but for the most part, he just looked like he was sleeping. Melinda went and sat by him, placing a kiss on his head, and grabbing his hand.

"Jim, it's me. I'm here baby." Melinda began to stroke his hair as she talked to him. "You've got to wake up. I need you. The baby needs you." Melinda put a hand on her stomach, as a small tear trickled down her face. Then, Jim appeared at her side.

"Melinda, I'm here." He said.

Jim's response startled Melinda, and she turned around to look at him.

"Jim, you're alive." She said. Just saying those words sent a wave of relief through her body.

Jim looked over at his body lying on the bed. "Looks pretty bad, huh." He said. "I've never really done this limbo thing before, you know." He let out a small smile.

Melinda returned the smile. "If you wake up, the doctors think you will be able to recover. Can you wake up?" She asked, almost pleadingly.

Jim thought for a moment, and then tried to touch his body. His hand went right through his face. "I don't think I can." He said, and looked very disappointed.

"It's ok baby. You just need to rest for now." Melinda said.

"But why am I here?" He asked, not fully understanding the situation.

"I'm not sure. I guess since your conscious isn't in your body, that's why I can see you, but since you're in a coma, you're technically still alive." Melinda said, trying to put some thought into it. "Maybe you can help me figure out who that ghost is that tried to kill you."

"And why." Jim said. He felt a little funny, like he wasn't quite gone, but wasn't all there either. At least his pain was gone.

Melinda shook her head in agreement. Then she looked up, and noticed another ghost in the room. It was the man with the blue hoodie that had caused the wreck.

"What the hell are you doing here? Who are you?" She asked, no demanded. Her whole body tensed with his presence.

"Finally, a ghost I can see!" Jim said, and then tried to dive at the ghost to get some punches in. Jim floated through the ghost as he had done his own body, and Jim fell to the floor. He got up, and angrily looked to the ghost. "You leave me and my family the hell alone." He was quite defensive, even though at the moment, he couldn't really do anything.

The ghost brushed by Jim, and appeared directly in front of Melinda.

"This can't happen. That baby cannot be yours. We will get the child, and there will be nothing left of you." He told Melinda.

She was now scared for her life, and her unborn babys. She still couldn't see his eyes, but she could see his mouth and nose, and something about his features seemed familiar. "Just leave me alone!" She said.

The ghost just laughed, and then appeared to jump at Melinda. He disappeared from Jim and Melinda's sight, but at that moment, Melinda felt a sharp pain in her stomach. She grabbed her abdomen, and doubled over onto the floor in pain. Jim tried to push the call button, but because he was currently a ghost, had no success. "Melinda, push the call button!" He said, standing helpless as he watched his wife.

Melinda couldn't reach her hand out if she wanted to. She was in such excruciating pain, that she couldn't move anything.

Jim started to panic, and didn't know what to do. He turned to the hall and started yelling. Maybe somebody would hear him and find his wife. "Help! Someone help! She's in trouble!" He yelled repeatedly. Just as he finished his sentence, he saw Delia come around the corner with some balloons. She walked pass the nurses' station, and into the room, where she saw Melinda lying on the floor, in pain. Her face dropped, and she turned to the doorway and yelled, "Help! I need a doctor in here! There's something wrong with my friend!"

A doctor and a few nurses rushed into Jim's room in a flash, and started attending to Melinda as Delia and Jim stood back and watched helplessly. The medical team had gotten an IV in Melinda, and were giving her drugs, and monitoring her vitals. They lifted her from the floor to a gurney, and wheeled her to a room in the ER. Delia followed close behind, to help out in any way that she could.

Once they got Melinda stabilized, they started running tests. Melinda was still in pain, but it was slowly subsiding. When the doctors and nurses left the room, she finally had a chance to talk to Delia.

"Melinda, are you ok? What happened?" She asked. Delia was extremely concerned.

"It was the ghost from the accident." Melinda explained. "I was talking to Jim's ghost, and he appeared, making threats to take my baby and kill me. Then he kind of almost jumped into me. Delia, it hurts so bad." Melinda said, still in a bit of pain.

"The doctors are working on it right now. Don't worry Melinda. Everything will be fine. Besides, if this ghost or whoever wants your baby, then they can't kill you until the baby is born, right?" She asked her friend.

"Yeah, but they can torture me in the mean time." Melinda said, still worried.

Then, the doctor came in with the test results. "Mrs. Gordon, I'm doctor Freeman. I've got the test results from your ultrasound and your labs. Could I have a minute to discuss them with you?" he looked at Melinda, then over to Delia.

"Sure." Melinda said, trying to sit up, but then deciding better of it, because movement made the pain increase.

"Well it can be normal in the first trimester for some moderate cramping, but in your case, since the cramping was so severe, we would like to monitor you over night, and put you on bed rest until you reach your second trimester." The doctor informed. "Now we have put some medication into your IV that should help with the cramping, and reduce the pain. Do you have any questions?" He asked.

"Is the baby ok?" Melinda asked.

"We did an ultrasound, and your baby looks perfectly healthy for 11 weeks." The doctor stated.

"11 weeks? That can't be right. I had my period the month before last. I can't be that far along!" Melinda said, trying to think back.

"Breakthrough bleeding can be common in the first trimester and many women commonly mistake it for a menstrual cycle." He replied.

"Wow, ok. So how long do I have to be on bed rest?" Melinda asked. She still couldn't believe she had been pregnant almost three months and didn't know it.

"A little over a week and you should be fine. We will also like to monitor the baby for a few weeks just to make sure everything is ok. The device is portable, so you can carry on with your normal activity once you're released. The doctor said. "Well I had better let you get some rest. A nurse will check in on you in a few minutes to adjust your meds. If you need anything, just let me know." He said, shaking Melinda's hand, then Delia's hand, and escorting himself out of the room.

"Well that's good news that the baby is ok. Are you worried about the ghost?" Delia asked, getting right back to business.

"Yeah, but I feel better with the baby on a monitor." Melinda said. The pain had finally started to go down enough for her to move into a more comfortable position.

"That's true. Well do you want me to stay here tonight?" Delia asked, knowing she was willing to do anything for her friend.

"That would be great." Melinda said. "But what about Ned?"

"Ned is at a friend's house tonight. When I heard Jim got into an accident, I sent him over." Delia said.

Then Melinda remembered, "Wait, Jim. He must have disappeared when all of the doctors came rushing in. Delia, could you do me a favor and check on him please? I don't want him to be alone right now." Melinda said.

"Sure." Delia said, with a smile. She put a hand on Melinda's shoulder, and looked at her sympathetically. "You get some rest now, ok. I will be back shortly, and I will stay here tonight."

"Thanks." Melinda was thankful. Since Jim was in the hospital, she didn't have anyone else to be with her, and she felt a bit scared. She knew Delia couldn't do anything about a ghost, but it made her rest easier knowing someone else would be in the room in case something happened. Melinda drifted off to sleep, totally exhausted from the day.

-

Hopefully everyone enjoyed this chapter. It wasn't really long, but a lot happened. Chapter 3 is almost finished, so I should be posting it within the next few days. Please review, and as always, thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

So chapter three came a little later than I had intended, but here it is! Hopefully everyone is enjoying the story. And if you have any ideas, suggestions, or constructive criticism, feel free to let me know! That's how I improve! Well enough from me. Here's chapter 3!

Chapter 3

A week and a half later

Melinda was lying in Jim's hospital bed next to him. She had just gotten off of bed rest, but was still on the fetal monitor, and she wanted to be with Jim. She hadn't seen his ghost since she had the ghost attack, and she was a little worried. Plenty of thoughts were running through her head. She had barely any stomach at all yet, but she couldn't help but keep her hands there, out of protectiveness. Her hands wouldn't stop a ghost from getting her baby, but it still made her feel better. Her thoughts were interrupted by another hand resting on her stomach. She turned over surprised, and realized it was Jim.

"Jim! You're awake!" Melinda half screamed, as she went in to hug her husband.

"A bit groggy, but awake." He said, finally looking into his wife's eyes. He didn't have the strength to lift his head, and his body was sore, but he was alive, and conscious, so he didn't care. Then a few doctors came rushing in.

"Mr. Clancy, you're awake." One doctor said, moving over to his bed side to examine him from head to toe.

"Welcome back Mr. Clancy." Another doctor said, checking Jim's vitals and pulse rate. "How are you feeling? Any pain?"

"I'm a little sore, but alive." He said, with a small smile.

Melinda couldn't believe her eyes. After her vision, there was no way she thought Jim would pull through. She Got off the bed and moved to the chair so the doctors could finish examining her husband. After the rush of doctors and nurses died down, Melinda could finally talk to Jim. She reached over and hugged him for what seemed like an hour. She had just gotten him back, and didn't want to let go. She let out a few small tears as she kissed him.

"It's ok Mel. I'm ok now. You don't have to worry." He said, hugging her still, and stroking her back for comfort.

"I thought I lost you." She choked out through tears.

"I know. I know honey." He said, still stroking her. "But I'm here now, and I'm ok."

Melinda felt a huge weight lift from her. Like things would turn out ok.

"I love you so much Jim." She said, pulling away from the hug, and looking into his eyes.

"I love you too, Mel." They kissed again.

"What happened to you? I saw your ghost that night, and then you disappeared. Where did you go?" She asked, studying her husband.

"Wait, wasn't that last night?" He asked, with a questioning look.

"Jim that was a week and a half ago. You've been in a coma this whole time." She said.

"Wow, really? It feels like yesterday. I don't even know where I was. All I remember is seeing you lying on the floor in pain, and a bunch of doctors came in to help you. I felt so helpless, and not able to do anything. After that, I don't know. I'm blank." He paused for a moment, trying to remember anything else he could, but nothing came to mind. "That's strange." He said, looking to his wife, thinking she may have an explanation.

"That is strange." Melinda said. "Well at least you're here now." She smiled.

Melinda and Jim took the next few hours getting caught up on what had happened in the last week and a half with the baby, the ghost, and everything else that was going on. Once Jim knew everything, they both just laid on the bed in each other's company. Jim wrapped his arms protectively around Melinda's middle, and Melinda's hands rested on Jims. They lay like this for a few minutes before they both drifted off to sleep.

Three days later, after many physical exams, blood tests, and neurological exams, Jim was released from the hospital. He was so glad to be home again, and so was his wife. Since they were both ordered to take it easy for a while, Delia had been stopping by to make sure they were both doing alright. Jim really didn't see what the point of resting was, because as far as he could tell, he felt fine, and he really wanted to be waiting hand and foot on Melinda. Melinda didn't mind it so much because it gave her a good excuse to spend as much time as possible at home with Jim. After almost losing him, she was not about to take their time together for granted.

They were both lying on the sofa together, Jim watching a baseball game, and Melinda reading a parenting book, when the doorbell rang. Melinda was about to get up to get it, but Jim reminded her she should be resting.

"Who is it?" She called to the door.

"It's Delia. Is it locked?" Her friend asked.

"No. Come on in." Melinda said, happy for the company.

Delia opened the door, and stepped into the living room. She looked over the scene, and was pleased to see they were both resting as they were instructed to do.

"What's up?" Melinda asked Delia, as she put her magazine on the coffee table, and moved to a sitting position.

"Well, I actually have a surprise for you." Delia said with a smile, as she started walking to the front door.

"A surprise?" Melinda asked, inquisitively. "What kind of surprise?"

Delia walked right through the door way, then came back in with her arm on something. Melinda shifted in her seat to see what Delia was touching, and was completely surprised to see her good friend Rick Payne come through the door.

"Rick!" Melinda said, jumping up from her seat, and running to give him a hug.

"whoa, Melinda, I didn't know you would be this happy to see me." He said, as he returned the hug.

"Of course I'm happy to see you! You're my friend!" She said. She walked him over to a chair and they sat down, as Delia sat in the other chair across the coffee table. "How are you?" She asked, with a smile.

"I think the important question is, how are you?" He asked, looking Melinda over. "I'm not even gone for a month and a half yet, and I get a call from Delia saying you had a vision, Jim almost died, your pregnant, and you were in the hospital!" Rick pointed to Melinda's stomach, "Congratulations by the way."

"Thanks." Melinda said with a smile. "Things have been pretty crazy the past few weeks, but they are settling down now. I do need to talk to you about this ghost though." She said. It felt so good to get back down to business. It felt right for her and Rick to be discussing ghostly matters.

"Yeah, Delia said he was able to control Jims car, and even hurt you. Have you seen him since?" Rick asked, genuinely curious about the mystery ghost.

"The strange thing is, I haven't. I thought he would have been back by now." Melinda said, wondering about the lack of ghost visits. "Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for the break, but if I can't talk to him, I can't figure out who he is, or who he's working with."

"Wait, you think he's working with someone?" Rick asked.

"Yeah. From the way he made it sound, it might be a group of them." Melinda said.

"Who do you think is heading this little group?" Jim asked.

"I have no idea." Melinda said, turning to her husband. "And I have no clue how many of them there are. …What could they want with my baby?" She asked.

"Well if the baby has the gift, they could raise the baby to help them do what you won't help them do, and prevent anymore spirits from crossing over." Rick said.

"yeah, but there has to be someone alive helping them too, because who would take care of the baby once it's born? The ghost's certainly can't, can they?" Jim asked Melinda.

"I don't think they can. I think your right, there probably is someone alive helping them. But who?" She questioned.

"Sounds like we need some information from this ghost of yours." Rick said.

A few days later

Melinda was feeling much better, and was now granted access to go back to work. It didn't take a lot to convince the doctor she was ready, but when it came to Jim, Melinda had to constantly work on him. And even though he had been in a horrible accident just weeks before, his biggest concern was still Melinda's safety. She wasn't really bothered by that though. In fact, she kind of liked it. It was nice to have someone to protect her, and love her.

She had just stepped out of the shower, and grabbed a towel to wrap around herself. She walked over to the mirror, and it was fogged up from the hot water, so Melinda placed a corner of her towel on the mirror and rubbed it dry. She looked herself over in the mirror. It didn't really look like anything had changed, but then she stepped back to examine her abdomen. There wasn't much there yet because she was still early on in her pregnancy, but Melinda could see a difference. She smiled at the thought of hers and Jims baby. She was so excited to finally be pregnant, but so scared at the same time.

She walked through her bedroom, and into her closet to find some clothes to wear. She pulled out a comfortable pair of Jeans, a light pink baby doll shirt, and a sweater because it was fall, and the weather was turning colder. She laid the clothing on her bed, dried herself off, and strapped the fetal monitor on. She only had a few more days with it, and she would be thankful when she didn't have to worry with it anymore.

After she strapped on the monitor, she proceeded to finish dressing herself, and finish getting ready. She then finished putting on her makeup, and doing her hair, and then gathered her things to leave for work. She headed downstairs, and placed her things on the bottom of the stairs, and went to the kitchen to retrieve a bottle of water. She opened the refrigerator and pulled out her beverage, and as she turned around, she was startled backward by the sight of a ghost in a strange blue jump suit. He looked extremely blue, almost cold, and he looked rather lifeless. Melinda felt a chill come over her, and she tried her best to ignore it.

"I can help you. What's your name?" She asked.

"The man tried to speak, but nothing was really coming out. Almost as if he was trying to inhale to speak, but couldn't.

The ghost seemed to be frustrated by his lack of communication. Melinda tried to look the ghost over a bit closer, and then noticed there was a small emblem on the right corner of his jumpsuit. It had a picture of a rocket, and it said NASA on it.

"You work for NASA?" She asked the man.

He shook his head yes, and seemed pleased that she was beginning to catch on.

"Are you an astronaut?" She asked, trying to get as much information as she could before he disappeared. The ghost shook his head yes.

Melinda felt rather helpless, because she could tell he was desperate to tell her something, but couldn't. The longer she was with the man, the tighter her chest felt, and the harder it was for her to breath. She tried to back away from him a little bit in an effort to take in more oxygen.

"I can help you. I just need you to help me figure out your name." Just as Melinda finished her sentence, the phone rang, startling Melinda, and the ghost. He disappeared instantly.

Melinda took a few deep breaths to regulate her breathing, and then answered the phone.

"Hello?" She said.

"Hey Melinda, it's me." She could hear Delia's voice on the other end. "Are you ok? You were supposed to be here half an hour ago. Not that you should be rushing, I just wanted to make sure you were ok."

"I'm fine. But thanks for checking in. It's really sweet of you." Melinda said with a smile. "I'm just on my way out the door now, so I should be there shortly." She informed her friend.

Melinda could hear Delia let out a sigh of relief. "Ok good. Your ok. I will see you soon then!" Delia said. They said their goodbyes, and Melinda headed off to work.

Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. If you have any ideas or suggestions for this story, feel free to comment. I'm currently at a fork, and I could go one of several ways with this story, so I am trying to figure out which would be best. Let me know what you think! I appreciate the reviews. Thanks!

Amanda


	4. Chapter 4

I hope these chapters are coming fast enough for everyone. I'm trying to be quick about it, because I know how annoying it is to have to wait forever for a new chapter, but at the same time, I'm not really willing to sacrifice the decency of the story for time. So hope this is ok with everyone! Enough from me. On with the chapter!

Chapter 4-

Melinda's day was going well. They hadn't had too many customers throughout the morning, so she had plenty of time to take it easy. Delia of course was checking on her every 20 minutes or so to make sure she wasn't too tired. During Melinda's lunch break, she decided to try and research her ghostly visitor from this morning. She typed in anything she could think of that had to do with NASA, but nothing came up. She was about to try local death records to see if she could spot a picture of him, when her computer sparked, and shut off. Melinda, startled, jumped back.

"What on earth?" She said, to no one in particular.

She looked a little closer at the device, when she got that all too familiar uneasy feeling in her stomach. She felt a little dizzy, and grabbed the side of the desk for support. She looked up, already knowing what she would see. The ghost with the blue hoodie was standing there, looking at Melinda with his creepy smile.

"Leave me alone!" Melinda said, still trying to balance herself. She held one hand over her stomach, as if it would help the nauseas feeling go away.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. If you cross anyone else over, it will be your last." He said.

He was still smiling, and the pleasure he got from torturing her sent chills down Melinda's back.

"I'm not scared of you!" She said, now wanting to sit down so the room would stop spinning. She eased herself onto the floor, and tried to close her eyes to make the spinning sensation stop. No luck.

"You will be." He said, as he laughed. Melinda opened her eyes, and as she looked at him once more, he disappeared.

Melinda was relieved for him to leave, as her symptoms began to subside. She heard the door chimes ringing, signaling that someone had entered the store. She looked up and saw Delia round the corner to the back room, and Delia's face dropped when she saw Melinda on the floor. She immediately ran over, and began to help Melinda up.

"Melinda, are you ok? What happened?" She asked, worried.

"It was the ghost." Melinda told her friend. She stood up with Delia's help, and held on to her friend for support for a moment until she regained her balance.

"What did he say?" Delia asked, wanting to get straight to the details.

"He told me not to cross over anymore ghosts or it would be my last. He said I should be scared of him." Melinda said. She was extremely worried about this guy, but didn't really know what to do about him. "There's got to be some way for me to cross him over."

-Later that night-

Melinda was pouring some tea for herself, and wine for her husband, as Jim was cleaning up dinner. She was explaining all of the events of the day.

"I need to figure out how to cross this ghost over, but if I do, what will happen? And meanwhile, I have this NASA guy that needs my help! I have got to figure out who this ghost is working with, so I can figure out how to stop him, and cross his ghost buddy over." She told Jim.

Well I don't know what exactly to do with the hooded ghost, but your NASA guy I might have an idea for." Jim said. Melinda looked over, curiously.

"What?" She asked.

"Use a Ouija board. He can spell out his name for you, so you can figure out who he is, and what he wants."

Melinda thought for a second, then her face lit up. "that's a great idea! You're the best!" She gave her husband a kiss.

"I know." Jim said, with a proud smile.

They both laughed.

Melinda had finally found a place in Grandview that sold Ouija boards, and now had it set up in the living room. She tried focusing all of her energy on the ghost. She closed her eyes.

"Can you hear me?" She asked the empty room. "Are you there?" She asked again.

As if on cue, the ghost appeared in front of her. Relieved it had worked, she explained the Ouija board.

"All you have to do is push the pointer, and spell out your name. That way I can figure out who you are. Do you know your name?" She asked. The man nodded. Melinda's chest felt a little tight again.

The man approached the board, and began pushing the pointer.

"C." Melinda said. The man looked up, making sure he was doing what he was supposed to. Melinda, seeing his hesitation, nodded. "Go Ahead." She said.

"H. A. R. L. I. E." He paused, and then went on.

"Y. O. U. N. G." She said, as he spelled it out.

"Charlie Young. Is that your name? She asked.

He nodded, relief evident in her face. Then he focused back to the board. He began spelling something else out.

Melinda watched as he moved the pointer from letter to letter. When he was done, Melinda looked at him, worriedly.

"Murder?" She asked. You were Murdered?"

He nodded, and then faded away.

"Wait!" She said, but the room was already empty. Her chest was no longer tight, so she was left alone with her thoughts. She realized now just how complicated things had gotten. Now she HAD to help this man. Evil hooded ghost or not.

Melinda had to call Jim.

She waited a moment as the phone rang, and her husband answered. "Hello?"

"Jim, he was murdered." Melinda said, getting to the point.

"Mel? Who was murdered?" he asked, trying to jump on his wife's thought train.

"My ghost. His name is Charlie Young, and he was murdered, but I don't know how." She said.

"Ok, well now you can find the family. What are you going to do about the other ghost?" Jim asked, concern filled his voice as he waited for a response from his wife.

"I don't know. I guess I will have to figure out about the hooded guy so I can cross the other man over." She said. Then a thought crossed her mind. Realization of what might be going on with the hooded ghost hit her hard.

"Jim, I have to go. If I'm not home when you get off, I will give you a call. Love you!" She said, purposely hanging up the phone before her husband could respond.

She wasn't sure if Jim would like where she was going.

Melinda pulled up to the house, and turned off her car. As she stepped out of her vehicle, she got a familiar chill down her back. She had gotten this chill many times from the house, but she knew she had to get some answers. She walked up to the door, and rang the doorbell. She hadn't noticed until then that she was holding her breath. She let it out before the door opened so she wouldn't be showing any sign of fear or weakness.

"Melinda, what brings you here?"

"Cut the crap Gabriel. I know you're involved with that hooded ghost that keeps showing up, and I want to know why." Melinda had a hint of anger in her voice.

Gabriel looked Melinda over, and then moved out of the way so she could enter. Against her better judgment, Melinda walked in.

"have a seat." Gabriel said, gesturing for her to sit down.

She sat, and Gabriel sat down as well just opposite her.

Melinda got straight to the point. "Why are you doing this Gabriel? What do you have to gain by hurting me and my family?"

"Melinda, I don't know what you're talking about." Gabriel said.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" Melinda said, trying not to raise her voice and show her frustration. "You sent that ghost after me!"

"No, that's where your wrong. I didn't send that ghost after you. He found you on his own." Gabriel said.

"So you are working together." Melinda said, making a point.

"Maybe we are, maybe we aren't." Gabriel quipped back.

"Quit being evasive. I just want to know why!" Melinda said, desperate for answers.

Gabriel paused for a moment. Melinda was wondering if he was trying to throw a lie together. "Let's just say if the ghost gets what he wants, I get what I want." Gabriel said.

"You want to kill me?" Melinda asked, almost hurt by the comment.

"No Melinda. It's more complicated than that." Gabriel looked at his feet. "I didn't want to hurt you, but the ghost is getting stronger."

Was that compassion Melinda was sensing? She could hardly believe it!

"Gabriel, I can help you. We can fight this ghost together. We can be on the same team!" Melinda said. Even if he wasn't her brother, she couldn't resist wanting to help him.

"No we can't work together. You don't understand Melinda." Gabriel said. He got up and walked to the entry way, and grabbed his coat. He turned to Melinda, "We just want different things." And with that, he left the house. Melinda just sat there in the large empty living room, almost stunned by the conversation. She couldn't believe Gabriel was willing to endanger her life, and the life of her child for whatever reasons he had. She knew that if she was ever going to stop the hooded ghost, she was going to have to get Gabriel on her side, and in order to do that, she would have to figure out what Gabriel wanted from the ghost.

Melinda pulled up to her house, and walked in, putting her things down. She turned toward the living room, and saw Jim watching television.

"Hey Mel. How did it go? And where did you go anyway?" He asked, turning toward his wife.

Melinda let out a big sigh. She walked into the living room, and plopped herself on the sofa next to her husband. He instinctively put his arm around her shoulder, and pulled her closer so she was resting on him.

"Gabriel's." She said, waiting for a loud response from her husband. She knew how Jim felt about Gabriel, which is why she didn't want to bring it up on the phone earlier.

"You went to Gabriel's? By yourself?" he asked, looking into his wife's eyes.

"I know, I know. I'm horrible for not telling you. But I needed to find out if he was involved, and I knew you would try to talk me out of it. I didn't want you to worry about me." Melinda said, explaining her reasoning for keeping her husband in the dark.

"Well what did he say? Is he involved?" Jim asked, getting to the matter at hand.

"You know how we were wondering about a non ghostly person being part of this? Well Gabriel is it." Melinda said, looking for her husband's reaction.

"I'm gonna kill him." Jim said, a hint of anger evident in his voice.

"Jim, I just think he's confused. The ghost can give him something he wants, and it must be important if he is willing to do whatever the ghost asks." Melinda said.

"Something he wants…Like what?" Jim inquired.

"I have no idea. He wouldn't really talk about it, and he was being extremely evasive about the whole thing. I don't think he really wants to hurt me, he just doesn't know how else to get what he wants. I have to get him to open up if I am ever going to get rid of this ghost."

Jim thought for a moment. "I have an idea. How about we do something together to get your mind off of all of this. You need to relieve some of your stress. If not for your sake, then for our babies." Jim said, placing a hand on his wife's stomach.

"What did you have in mind?" Melinda asked, completely ready to relax.

"How about a nice hot bubble bath together, then maybe a little massage. Does that sound ok?" He asked, with pure love in his eyes.

Melinda closed her eyes, and nestled into her husband. "Sounds great." She said, letting out large sigh. Jim got up, and swooped Melinda into his arms, and carried her up the stairs to their bed room. Melinda waited for a few minutes on the bed while her husband drew a nice bubble bath. He lit a few candles, dimmed the lights, and had some soothing music playing. It was just what Melinda needed to relax her stress away.

Jim removed his clothing, and climbed into the tub. Melinda undressed as well, almost teasing her husband. Jim held out a hand for Melinda, who grasped his hand, and slowly eased into the tub, moving slowly to allow her body to adjust to the change in temperature. She nestled on top of her husband, and felt so secure in his arms. They talked sweetly to each other, and whispered sweet nothings into each other's ears, as Jim drew circles on Melinda's stomach.

"What do you think the baby will be?" Jim asked his wife, just absorbing her touch.

"I'm not sure. A lot of women say they can tell, but I really have no idea. We will be lucky if it's human knowing my family!" Melinda said, jokingly.

Jim laughed. "What about you? What do you think it will be?" Melinda asked her husband sweetly.

"If it's a boy, he will be strong, smart, and a true gentleman. If it's a girl, she will be as beautiful as her mother." Jim said, kissing his wife passionately.

"You're too good to me." Melinda said, going in for another kiss.

"I know." He joked. "How are you feeling? Are you tired tonight?" Jim asked.

"Not really. I'm half surprised I haven't collapsed from exhaustion, but really, I have a bit of energy." Melinda said.

"I know how you could use that energy…" Jim said, with a sly smile.

"Mr. Clancy…Is that a come on?" Melinda asked with a smile.

"I don't know. What do you think?" Jim asked, half teasingly.

"I think bath time is over, and it's time for us to head to bed." Melinda said, now returning the sly smile.

"You mean head to sleep." Jim said, looking at his wife.

"That's not what I said." Melinda continued to tease.

They got out of the tub, dried off, and headed to the bedroom. There night was filled with passion and love, and Melina was so relaxed by the end of it all that she felt not a care in the world as she drifted off to sleep in her husband's arms.

I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! I choose my path at the fork, and I think the story is headed in a good direction. Keep reading, and if you like or dislike it enough, please review! As a former non-reviewer that now writes, I know now how valuable those reviews are! (And so naturally, now I feel bad for all of those great stories out there that I read, loved, and didn't review.) anyway…R&R please!


	5. Chapter 5

So sorry it took me so stinking long to update, but I have been so consumed with the show the past two weeks that it's all I can think about! My goodness I am blown away by the writers! Also, I think I had a small case of writers block. I knew where I wanted the story to go, but didn't quite know how I wanted to get there.

Well hopefully everyone will enjoy this chapter! I'm trying my hardest to stay true to what I think the characters actions and responses would be, so let me know if someone does something or says something that doesn't seem in character. Helpful criticism is most appreciated!

Ok, well with no further babbling from my part, on with chapter 5!

Chapter 5-

Melinda Gordon pulled her red jeep into an empty parking spot, and turned her car off. She gathered her things, and stepped out of her car. She looked up at the restaurant she had parked in front of, and walked inside. She looked around for a moment, searching each table for a familiar face. She noticed her friend in the back corner of the restaurant, and he was standing up, waving his arms to get her attention directed towards the table he was at. Melinda giggled at herself for a moment, imagining the thoughts of the people sitting around him, probably thinking he was quite a character. She made her way to the table, and hugged her friend, as she took a seat.

"Hey, how you doing?" She asked, as she put her things down, and grabbed a menu.

"Well I'm glad I got a call that you needed some help with the ghost busting." Rick Payne said, with his classic smirk. "You didn't happen to run into any ghostys on your way here, did you?"

Melinda looked at him, then smiled. 'What a goof.' She thought to herself. "No. Rick focus. We already have two ghosts to deal with. We don't need anymore." She scanned her menu for something that looked appetizing.

"Haven't you ever heard the phrase, the more the merrier Melinda?" He questioned his friend, playfully. He enjoyed the witty banter they seemed to get into whenever they were with each other.

"…I see where you get your last name from." Melinda said, with a sly smile.

"Ouch. That hurts. Much like the cabbage rolls, so I would stay away from those if I was you.' He said, looking over his menu as well.

"Noted."

The friends placed their orders, and got down to business as they were waiting for their food.

"So I have looked up this Charlie Young guy, and I can't seem to find anything about his death. Do you think it's possible they don't know he's dead?" Melinda asked.

"That's possible." Rick thought for a moment. "Did you check missing persons?" He asked.

"Not yet." Melinda said, sipping her water. "I did find an address though, and they lived in Grandview. I don't have any idea why he was working for NASA, but living in Grandview. Doesn't make much sense to me." She informed.

"maybe it's a vacation house. Or maybe he works from home, and sends things to NASA. You see, there is this wonderful new device called a computer. You should really check it out some time! You can send information all over the world." Rick said, playfully.

"Not funny." Melinda said, pointing a finger at her friend.

"Just a thought." He said, adjusting the salt and pepper shakers to a better place on the table. "What are you going to do? Are you going to cross him over with the big bad hooded man out there?" Rick asked, looking to Melinda.

"I guess I will have to. It's the right thing to do. It's not the first time a ghost has threatened my life." Melinda said, obviously a little scared, even as she said it.

"Yeah, but it's not just your life anymore." Rick pointed out.

"They want the baby though. They won't do anything to me until after the baby is born." Melinda put her hand on her stomach. The thought of not getting to see her child grow up gave her a sinking feeling.

"What are you going to do about Gabriel?" Rick asked, wanting to move away from that touchy subject. The conversation was beginning to get to deep for him.

"I just have to figure out what he wants, that he thinks the ghost can give him. If I can figure that out, I might be able to help him. I don't think he will tell me though, so I'm going to have to see what kind of research I can do." Melinda said. As she finished her sentence, a man came with their food. He placed the plates down. "Does everything look alright?" he asked.

"Great." Rick said. "Thanks."

The man left the table, and Rick and Melinda proceeded to enjoying their lunch.

"Alright Melinda. You can do this." She told herself, as she again found herself at Gabriel's house. She got out of the car, and walked hesitantly toward the door. She had tried to research him, but came up with nothing. She knew the only way she would figure out the whole story was to talk to Gabriel. Jim, of course, was not so comfortable with Melinda going, so they settled on Jim waiting around the corner, and at the first sign of danger, Melinda would call Jim.

Melinda rang the doorbell, and waited for a response. Again, she was nervous. She hadn't even noticed she was chewing on the inside of her lip until she bit down so hard it drew blood. She tried to shake her nerves. Just then, Gabriel opened the door.

"Melinda. What are you doing here?" Gabriel asked.

"Gabriel, we need to talk." Melinda said.

"There's nothing to talk about." Gabriel said.

"Please Gabriel. Just talk to me." Melinda said, almost pleading.

Gabriel thought for a moment. He stepped to the side to allow Melinda to come in. She walked through the entry way, and into the living room where both sat down.

"What did you want to talk about?" Gabriel asked, trying his best not to make eye contact.

"I came to talk about what happened." She said.

"What do you mean what happened?" He asked, now looking at her.

"What happened that was so horrible you want the ghost to fix? Did someone die? Gabriel, I can see it in your eyes. Your in pain. Why won't you let me help you?" Melinda said, trying to move a little bit closer to Gabriel, so he might open up.

"Melinda, you don't know loss. You only think you do. Just because you can talk to the dead, and you help grieving family's doesn't mean you know what it's like to lose someone close to you." Gabriel said.

"Gabriel, I've lost. My grandmother, My best friend, I definantly know loss." Melinda said.

"Yes, but you don't know extreme loss. What would you do if you ever lost Jim? If you could never see him again? What if you were responsible for his death? Would you be able to live with yourself?" Gabriel said. Melinda could sense his emotions rising.

"Who did you lose?" Melinda asked, now concerned.

"Just imagine loving a baby so much that hadn't even been born yet, just for him to die before you even had the chance to meet him." Gabriel had a few tears rolling down his face.

"You were a father?" Melinda asked.

"Almost." Gabriel said, wiping a few tears away.

"Gabriel, I'm so sorry. What happened?" Melinda asked. She was now sitting right next to him, offering a tissue from the box that was sitting on the coffee table.

"She was so beautiful. Perfect really. Her name was Christine, and we were married for 3 years when we found out she was pregnant. She was so excited. She had the nursery painted yellow before we even knew we were having a boy, because she didn't want to wait. It was one of the first cold days of fall, and she had complained about being cold, so I turned the heater on. I left for work a little later, and when I came home, I found Christine passed out on the floor. I called the ambulance, and when we got to the hospital, they told me it was carbon monoxide poisoning. She and the baby had been dead for a few hours before I even got home." The tears were coming freely by this point.

Melinda wiped away a few tears of her own. She couldn't even imagine losing her baby, or Jim. Her heart went out to Gabriel.

"But the worst thing was I never saw her. She never came to me after she died. Never said I love you, never said goodbye. She just vanished. It wasn't fair. I still had so much to tell her. So much to ask." Gabriel said, calming down a bit by this point. He tried to compose himself. He turned to Melinda.

"The hooded man has her spirit, and my sons spirit. He said if I helped him with you, he would let me cross Christine and my son over."

Melinda was now completely understanding. Although he was working with the bad guy, he had good motivation behind it. And from their conversation earlier, she knew he never wanted to harm Melinda.

"Gabriel, what happened to you is horrible. I can't even imagine what it must have been like to lose the two most important people in your life. But you can't help him. We need to work together to stop him, so we can release all of the souls. That way all of the families can have peace." Melinda said.

"Melinda, he's too powerful! He can really hurt you!" Gabriel said.

"Well obviously he can't do too much if he needed your help." Melinda retorted.

"What would you even suggest to try and stop him?" Gabriel asked.

"I'm not sure yet, but if we work together, I think we could really beat him. I can't do it alone though Gabriel." Melinda said.

"I don't know Melinda." Gabriel seemed to be thinking really hard.

"well why don't you think about it for a while, and give me a call whenever you make a decision." Melinda said, standing up. Gabriel stood up as well, and walked Melinda to the door.

Before she left, Gabriel turned to face Melinda. "Thanks Melinda." He said. She could tell he was being genuine. No longer did she fear the man standing at the door. Now she felt nothing but understanding, and sympathy. She walked out of the house, and back into her car. All she could do now was hope that he would choose to do the right thing.

A/N- well hopefully everyone like this chapter. It took a while to get it to sound the way I wanted it to. And now that I have got this chapter written, the next chapters should start coming a bit faster. Again, sorry for such a long delay! Review if you would please 


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